LUMBERTON — Five Robeson County high school football teams will be in action Friday in the first round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association football playoffs.

Each area postseason participant took a different road that yielded similar results. Lumberton and Fairmont will host this week while Purnell Swett, South Robeson and St. Pauls will go on the road for the opening night of games.

Here’s a brief look at this season’s can’t miss games from the regular season. . .

No. 10 — East Columbus at St. Pauls, 50-21, Oct. 23

At the time, coach Trey Sasser's Bulldogs were in control of their own destiny, facing a talented Gators team for sole possession of first place in the Three Rivers Conference.

After a competitive first half with multiple lead changes, East Columbus ripped off 28 unanswered points for a blowout win. Sasser blamed turnovers and lack of execution on the defeat.

The Bulldogs finished 2-9 overall and will play unbeaten East Duplin in the first round Friday.

No. 9 — Pinecrest at Lumberton, 45-14, Oct. 9

Easily the Pirates' best win this season, Lumberton cruised to a four touchdown victory on homecoming over the 9-2 Patriots.

The Pirates recovered a pair of pooch kicks and dominated time of possession in the first half, building a 24-point lead. In the first quarter, Lumberton had the ball nine minutes before the Patriots’ first snap.

A wide receiver reverse pass touchdown and Jalaquon McNeill's 62-yard interception return headlined a highlight-happy night for the Pirates.

No. 8 — Purnell Swett at Richmond County, 47-36, Oct. 16

Never did a double-digit defeat look so good.

Purnell Swett proved it could play with one of the state's top teams. After falling behind 14-0 early in the first quarter, the Rams stormed back to take a 30-21 lead minutes before halftime.

Richmond couldn't find an answer for Swett's Ethan Clark and hurt themselves with multiple turnovers. The Raiders went undefeated in the Southeaster Conference after the close home win and this was the only game that was in doubt after halftime.

Richmond went on to receive a No. 2 seed in the 4-AA West Bracket.

No. 7 - Pine Forest at Lumberton, 28-26, Aug. 21

In a humid season opener that featured three lead changes, the Trojans held on for a narrow win after stopping the Pirates on a two-point conversion try with 10:54 left in the game following Kendrick McGill's 14-yard touchdown run. Lumberton trailed 14-0 after No. 6 — East Bladen at Fairmont, 51-20, Sept. 25

The Golden Tornadoes took their best shot at unbeaten East Bladen in a game Fairmont led in the second quarter. East Bladen scored its first touchdown on a punt return and never looked back.

Instead of falling into oblivion at 0-5, the Golden Tornadoes responded over the season's final five weeks and won the Three Rivers Conference, Robeson County's first conference title since St. Pauls won its league in 2007.

No. 5 — West Columbus at Red Springs, 28-13, Nov. 6

The Red Devils avoided the dubious honor of an 0-11 season in the year's final home game. Sherman Sumpter and Damontra Yates torched the West Columbus defense for 250 yards passing and four touchdowns. Yates pulled down 10 catches for a season-high 245 yards. He also recorded two interceptions on defense in Red Springs' first win.

No. 4 — Fairmont at East Columbus, 18-7, Oct. 30

In what turned out to be the Three Rivers Championship game, Fairmont shocked the area with a win at East Columbus. Lonnie Nealy scored two touchdowns to lead the Golden Tornadoes, who shut down one of the conference's most deadly, mis-direction offenses.

No. 3 — Scotland County at Purnell Swett, 38-37, Oct. 9

The Rams narrowly escaped this one at Big 'Mo' Strickland Stadium, due in large part to a porous rush defense.

Despite allowing 412 yards rushing, Swett's defense made the game-winning stops inside their own 10-yard line with seconds remaining. Swett running back Jock Clark scored a season-high three touchdowns and gained 103 yards on the ground.

The Rams overcame a 23-8 halftime deficit to beat the Scots for just the third time since 1991.

No. 2 - St. Pauls at South Robeson, 21-20, Oct. 16

Antonio Henderson's 62-yard touchdown reception from Kalem Hunt with just under five minutes to play gave the Bulldogs and important one-point win on the road over South Robeson in a highly-contested battle. A minute before Henderson's winning catch, the Mustangs took their first lead of the game on Avis Johnson's 4-yard run to push ahead 20-14. Before the dramatic win, St. Pauls had been outscored 106-0 the two previous games and it was the Bulldogs’ signature victory of the season.

No. 1 — Lumberton at Purnell Swett, 32-30, Nov. 6

This one lived up to the hype. Declared the 'Backyard Brawl', the Pirates and Rams fought until the final three minutes, where Swett took control after stopping Lumberton on a game-tying two-point conversion attempt.

The stars shined on both sides — the county's leading rusher, Maurice Lewis, scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the Pirates and Rams' quarterback Ethan Clark went a perfect 7-of-7 through the air. Swett has now won six of the last eight in the series. Swett earned a No. 11 seed at 9-2 and plays at Hillside on Friday.